We frequently need to bring a middle manager or an external technical expert into our leadership team's Level 10 Meeting to help us solve a specific, complex issue. How do we guest-host them during the IDS section without derailing our meeting flow or compromising confidentiality?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Bringing a guest into your leadership team's Level 10 Meeting™ is a great way to get the raw data you need to solve an issue, but it must be managed with strict boundaries. If you do not control their involvement, guests can easily derail your meeting flow, waste time, or overhear highly confidential leadership discussions.

To guest-host successfully, you must use a surgical, in-and-out approach. Do not invite the guest to sit through your entire ninety-minute meeting. They do not need to hear your personal bests, your Scorecard review, or your human resource headlines.

Instead, schedule the guest to join you at a specific time during the IDS® portion of the meeting, and place the relevant issue at the top of your priority list for that week.

Before the guest enters the room or joins the video call, the facilitator must prep the team on the specific question they need the guest to answer. When the guest arrives, welcome them, state the issue clearly, and ask them to present their data or perspective. Use the IDS® process to discuss and identify the root cause with their input.

Once the issue is fully identified and a clear solution or weekly to-do is agreed upon, thank the guest and dismiss them from the meeting immediately. Do not let them linger. This keeps your meeting secure, respects the guest's time, and allows the leadership team to return to their regular agenda without skipping a beat.